Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga Expands With New Indoor Arena
A therapy horse enjoys the company of humans inside a paddock near the new arena. Photos by Jonathon Norcross
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga (THS), a nonprofit that provides equine-assisted psychotherapy, unveiled its new, year-round indoor arena and group therapy space on Wednesday morning. The facility will allow THS to increase the number of annual clients from 60 to 100, and expand its total number of annual therapy sessions from 680 to 1,200.
Construction of the new arena began in mid-June, and finishing touches were completed in early September. The facility was funded by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) through the Nonprofit Infrastructure Capital Investment Program (NICIP). THS was selected as an awardee of a NICIP investment in April.
“The innovative programs of Therapeutic Horses are a perfect fit for the Saratoga community, and I am pleased that our organization is able to play a part in supporting their important work,” said Robert J. Rodriguez, President of DASNY, in a statement.
A number of local elected officials attended the unveiling. Saratoga Springs Mayor John Safford and State Senator James Tedisco both praised the organization for assisting veterans. Assemblymember Carrie Woerner thanked THS for aiding survivors of trauma. Congresswoman Elise Stefanik was slated to appear but did not attend.
THS is located on a 27-acre horse farm on Lake Avenue, which is currently home to 29 horses (plus two Saratoga Springs police horses). On the same property is an office for ECS Psychological Services, a practice that oversees therapy sessions between patients and horses. THS also allows any individual or group to book “horseplay” sessions, which are not necessarily considered a form of therapy but nonetheless allow both adults and children to enjoy the company of a horse in a tranquil setting.
“When somebody walks [into a paddock] with anger, with fear, with anxiety, which is the number one diagnosis of people that come here, the horses sense it and they are completely unnerved. They don’t attack, they just disappear,” said Kim Weir, THS’ director of strategic growth. “This is the magic of horses generally. Horses trust humans. If we are confident, then they’re completely confident. That’s why they fought our wars and dug our ditches and built our civilizations.”
In order for the horses to help humans feel more confident and less anxious or fearful, the horses themselves need to be well taken care of, Weir said. “We need them to feel safe